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Friday, January 29, 2010

ISNA® Canada HALAL/ZABIHA STANDARDS:

The following conditions for Halal/Zabiha certification by ISNA® Canada are the standards to be followed by the Abbattoires and other Food Manufacturing Industries in order to produce Halal Food for the Muslims:

Animals will be blessed by Muslims recommended and authorized by ISNA® or by its designated agent;

Any stunning shall be only to render the animal unconscious momentarily and is not to cause death. This is established by Agriculture Canada requirements and sworn to by the Veterinarian in charge for slaughter operations.

The animals are to be cut immediately after stunning to ensure bleeding time in excess of 90 seconds.

The Halal identification is to be monitored and strictly regulated to ensure it is affixed only to the products from the Zabiha animals.

ISNA® is to have the right of access to the business premises without prior notice to ensure that the requirements are being adhered to.

Any Halal certification shall be limited to only the Halal operations and not a blanket certification of all meat producing operations.

will terminate the Halal certification if the producer fails to make its products Halal.

In its standards for Halal certification, ISNA® will treat all producers and distributors equally, whether they are Muslim or Non-Muslim. (<-----How can this be the case.???)

We emphasize the fact that the system is NOT based on merely issuing certificates to the halal establishments after approval but rather, each and every animal will be thoroughly inspected through the HMA procedure of having inspectors physically present which involves inspection of chicken and meat from the source to the point of being slaughtered through to its packaging and up to the point of delivery, then finally stamped/tagged to be HMA approved Halal. At the point of sale the buyer will have to merely demand from the butchers and halal outlets to provide him/her with the chicken, meat and products that bear an "HMA Halal" label or stamp on it.

Stunning is not the only problem which confronts the Halal meat industry. There are many conditions and requirements of slaughter which if not adhered to can render it Haram/unlawful. As well as ensuring that animals are not stunned, the HMA certification system also constantly monitors at the site of slaughter that;

Animals are manually slaughtered,

A Muslim does the slaughtering,

The slaughterer verbally mentions the name of Allah on each slaughter,

All the necessary veins are cut,

No cross-contamination of non-certified meat/poultry or their parts takes place,

The temperature of the dip tank remains within a certain level, etc.

Since the only way to ascertain that all of these conditions are met is by physical monitoring, HMA approval and certification can only be accorded where this has taken place. Unfortunately, there are many places where due to the speed of the killing line or some other reasons, some of the above conditions are not met which can render some or all products non Halal.

THE MAIN DIFFERENCE AND THE MOST IMPORTANT ONE!!

is that Hma inspectors are ALWAYS present at each and every single location which they have certified, each and every time they perform any slaughter which is to be labelled HALAL by the HMA. Unlike other such agencies (Namely ISNA) where a system is placed and monitored (hopefully) in ALLAH knows what interval periods, as the ISNA website states: Randomly. And it doesn't stop there.. ISNA further certifies the outlets that carry this MEAT and they have a whole list of certified HALAL meat retailers CLICK HERE. This is definitely requires more effort on the part of the certifying authority namely HMA, but makes the life of the muslim consumer much easier.We thank Allah and make du'a for the Ulama and the volutneers and workers of HMA for this great service to the muslims of Toronto.

*NOTE although ISNA has not been traditionally the hallmark of Halal certification (without getting into details) this is still welcome news that companies are trying to cater to muslims; be it for their monetary gains or what not...

Therefore it would be still advisable to do your own checking to make sure...

Following is from Cambell's website...

As part of Campbell Canada's commitment to diversity and extraordinary, authentic nourishment for all, we are pleased to introduce a selection of Halal-certified products to help you meet your Islamic dietary requirements.Quick Facts on Campbell Halal-certified Products

There are a variety of Campbell Canada products that are now Halal-certified so you have more food options to enjoy with your friends and family.

These products are certified by the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA), the largest non-profit, religious, educational, and non-political Islamic organization in North America. ISNA’s Halal Certification Program was established in conjunction with professionals in the field of Islamic foods and nutrition, and with Islamic scholars. The program includes the review of ingredients, formulas, manufacturing and sanitation processes.

Our Halal-certified products have been chosen specifically to suit the flavour preferences of the Muslim community.

In the coming months, all our Halal-certified products will have the ISNA logo directly on their labels, so you can easily identify them at your grocery store.

You can find our Halal-certified products at all major grocery stores.

We are very excited to offer these products and hope you enjoy them with peace of mind.For more information on Halal and the Halal Certification Program, please visit the Islamic Society of North America website.
At Campbell Canada, we take great care to ensure that these products are and remain Halal and have an on-going certification agreement with ISNA. If you have questions about Campbell Halal-certified Products please call the Campbell's Consumer Response Center at 1-800-410-7687

The following chart outlines the type of animal content in each of our soups. Please check for updates periodically as this information is subject to change. For allergen information or a list of ingredients, please call our customer service line at 1-888-601-1616.

Lacto Vegetarian: A person following a Lacto-Vegetarian diet does not eat meat or egg products but can consume dairy products. We suggest that you first please refer to our Animal Content Statement and review our Allergen Policy which discusses the nature of the bakery environment in terms of ingredient transfer.
A few of the products that should be suitable for this class of vegetarian, however, are as follows:

Vegan: A person following a Vegan diet will not eat meat of any kind and will not consume any dairy or egg products. We suggest that you first please refer to our Animal Content Statement and review our Allergen Policy which discusses the nature of the bakery environment in terms of ingredient transfer. A few of the products that should be suitable for this class of vegetarian, however, are as follows:

Seems like it is as it sounds... nothing else added except water and coffee... Only thing to check is if in the processing of the coffee itself they use anything.. while some people might scoff at this notion.. others; specially those with a food sciences background will definitely understand food flavouring is an industry where the consumer will be amazed to find the amount of procedures an ingredient(s) has to go through before it comes in the form of a finished product in front of you...

In addition:
. All donuts are cooked in 100% vegetable based fats
. All donut glaze is completely vegetable based
. All L-cysteine is from a synthetic source
. The mono- and diglycerides of all Tim Hortons products are vegetable based.

If you require any further nutrition or allergen information, please call our customer service line at 1-888-601-1616 (Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time).

Sauces are one of the most versatile innovations in man's love affair with food.
Very few foods indeed are eaten without some kind of sauce, be it a tomato sauce with a burger, as soya sauce with stir fry, chutney and relishes with chicken tikka and kebaabs, a base or topping sauce of a pizza, a basting sauce or marinade for a braai, mayonnaise and vinegar as salad dressing and caramel sauce for dessert.
The function of a sauce is to enhance flavour and act as a binder or thickener to prevent separation and increase the appeal of the dish. Its versatility makes it a firm favourite with cooks as it is available in powder, paste and liquid; in thick, medium or thin textures. It can be cooked separately or utilized as a cook-in-sauce.
More than three thousand substances are intentionally added to foods and drinks to produce a desirable effect.

Monday, January 18, 2010

If the source of Gelatine is derived from a Halaal source then its usage is permissible, whilst if the source is Haraam or Mashqook [doubtful] then it will be considered Haraam. The hide matrix or gelatine protein is basically a piece of skin, which is hydrollised, washed, melted and extracted, purified, evaporated, sterilised, chilled, dried and granulated for further shelf life and easy use. Alkaline treatment tends to remove amide groups present on certain amino acid residues on the collagen protein chains resulting in a lowering of the isoelectric point and consequently an alteration not a transformation of the chemical and physical properties of the protein occurs. Despite the above method of changing a raw product into gelatine under tremendous chemical pressure still retains much of its chemical equation. The collagen triple helix structure is lost during this procedure but the resultant Gelatine product retains the original coil structure. The aspect of Tabdeel-e-Mahiyyat does not take place.

Muslims should avoid choosing Haraam and doubtful ingredients. If a comparable medication is available in tablet or liquid form it would be advisable to ask for them instead of taking capsules. In the area of food we have such a vast selection of products whereby foregoing a certain brand containing Gelatine should pose no problem. In the UK it is a legal requirement to list ingredients in products and a reference to this guide will indicate what can be consumed or not. Muslim countries as well as local associations should provide finances to initiate and promote research to develop alternate forms to Gelatine to overcome this problem.

Sunday, January 10, 2010

Last Updated: 19/12/2010 J Dobson's Statement: "All our products are animal free (suitable for vegetarians) and we add no alcohol."All Joseph Dobson Products in this case are permissible according to the information provided. List follows below.

All Pepsico products are suitable for vegetarians and contain no added alcohol

2. BRITVIC

The following are Haraam:

Robinsons High Juice Blood Orange Soft Drink(E120)

Alcohol Statement - Britvic Products

"All products that contain any level of ethanol as a solvent have been declared as 'carrier', even if this level is extremely low. The level present in all the products using ethanol as a carrier will not be significant - it is comparable with the level of ethanol that may naturally be found in fruit juice.

All products that contain a significant level of ethanol, due to this being deliberately present from an ingredient, are declared as 'Added'."

Products which use a carrier are permissable. Alcohol used as carriers are common food industry techniques and are permissible due to necessity on condition that they do not intoxicate i.e. negligible (trace) amounts of alcohol are present.

Please refer to full product list below to ascertain Halaal according to the Added (HARAAM) and Carrier (Halaal).

Added Alcohol Products

All Products with Added in the alcohol status are expressly forbidden thus:

Bass Shandy Lemon Flavour Soft Drink With Beer 2 L PET Bottle

added

Bass Shandy Lemon Flavour Soft Drink With Beer 275 ml Glass Bottle

added

Bass Shandy Lemon Flavour Soft Drink With Beer 330 ml Can

added

Bass Shandy Lemon Flavour Soft Drink With Beer 330 ml Glass Bottle

added

Alcohol Statement - Britvic Products

All products that contain any level of ethanol as a solvent have been declared as 'carrier', even if this level is extremely low. The level
present in all the products using ethanol as a carrier will not be significant - it is comparable with the level of ethanol that may naturally be found in fruit juice.

All products that contain a significant level of ethanol, due to this being deliberately present from an ingredient, are declared as 'Added'.

To conclude, all Products with Added in the alcohol status are expressly forbidden. Products which use a carrier are permissable. Alcohol used as carriers are common food industry techniques and are permissible due to necessity on condition that they do not intoxicate i.e. negligible (trace) amounts of alcohol are present.

Please refer to full product list below to ascertain Halaal according to the Added (HARAAM) and Carrier (Halaal).